A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items in front of him. When class began, he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. Then he asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar of golf balls. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the spaces between the golf balls. The students laughed. He asked his students again if the jar was full. They said yes. The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "Yes". The professor then produced two glasses of red wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

He looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No, that’s not it," said the professor. "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The golf balls are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children, your love, your enjoyment, and your entertainment - anything that is so important to you that if it were to be lost, you would be nearly destroyed. The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. They are things like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else. The small stuff.

If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff that doesn’t contribute to your happiness, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.”

This story is a reminder to pay attention to the things and people that are most important in your life. Play with your children. Take your partner out to the movies or to a nice dinner. Spend time with your friends laughing and doing what you love. Play a round of golf. Do one more run down the ski hill. Go to a late show. Spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon at the beach, or going for a walk and grabbing some fish and chips. There will always be time to work, or to clean the house, to run errands or to fix what may be broken.

Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just pebbles and sand.

And what about the 2 glasses of wine - what do they represent?

It goes to show that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of red or white wine with a friend!